Hurt Feelings
by DramaticStarlet
Summary: The Marauders were surprising her considerably today. JamesLily.


**-hurt feelings-**

**james/lily.**

**By Katie**

**a/n: This was my first ever Harry Potter story (I wrote this several months ago). (: So it's a very special story for me...**

**disclaimer: It's quite a shame that James Potter doesn't belong to me. **

-

Lily Evans hated James Potter with every fiber in her body. She hated his messy black hair and his sparkly eyes and his crooked grin. Well…maybe she didn't hate him. Hate was a bit of a strong word. She just really, really, really didn't like him.

He drove her crazy! He sat behind her in Transfiguration and whispered particularly interesting things into her ear. He also sat behind her in Muggle Studies, where he blew on her ear all the times. Everytime they passed in empty corridors, he would call her the most embarrassing nicknames (i.e. Sugarlips, Honeybunch, Love Muffin).

James Potter was the most annoying, frustrating boy in Gryffindor House. With the possible exception of Sirius Black.

Speaking of Sirius Black; she didn't particularly like him either. He had taken to calling her "Lilypad" and often copied off of her paper in Potions. No matter how many times she told him to bugger off, he just kept coming back.

Black and Potter…oh, I mean Padfoot and Prongs. "The Marauders," along with Remus Lupin (Moony) and Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail).

They absolutely drove her batty. And, most days, she could come up with a smart remark to their little antics, and just go on.

Today, though…well, beware Lily Evans. She was on the warpath. Her Muggle Studies project was due tomorrow, and she wasn't even half done. McGonagall had assigned an essay, and Slughorn wanted Lily to come up with an entirely new potion that was supposed to turn people into food. (_'Why would people want to be food?' _Lily had thought, but didn't say anything.) Not to mention the fact that she needed to get her mother a birthday present.

It was only 1:30 in the afternoon and Lily just wanted to sit down and have a good cry. Or scream. Whichever came first, of course. Just when she thought things couldn't go worse, that cad Potter came strolling up to her with a little smile.

"Hey, Lily, can I talk to you?" he said, leaning against the wall of a corridor.

She looked at him, glaring. "No, POTTER. How about I talk and you listen?" she spat.

His smile disappeared instantly; "I'm serious, I really need to talk to you."

"Yeah, Potter, well I really need to talk to you. I'm having a pretty bad day right now, and your presence just made it a little bit worse. I despise you, alright? Is that the response you want from me? You're an arrogant, inconsiderate, egotistical, menacingly immature prat and I'm sorry that we ever met! To think I could EVER have feelings for you is the most disgusting thought I've had in quite a while, next to yesterday when Sirius made some stupid comment about him going skinny-dipping with me in the lake! But that's beside the point! The point is that I despise you with every fiber of my being, and nobody can ever change that!" Lily hissed, stalking away.

And a very hurt James Potter was left standing, looking, dare I say, pretty pathetic.

-

It was only too late when Lily had realized that Potter had called her by her given name. Lily. He only called her that when…well, come to think of it, he'd never called her that. He must have really needed to tell her something. Of course, he could have just been messing with her head. James Potter was known to do that to girls.

She remembered how he'd looked when she'd made her little speech. Shocked. Had she even seen a little hurt on his features? His breathtakingly cute features.

'_Shake it off, Evans!'_, she told herself.

She did _not_ have a crush on James Potter. That was a little bizarre to think about.

Her mind drifted off to him in Defense Against The Dark Arts and Occlumency. After Occlumency, she was done with classes for the day. She planned on telling James she was sorry in the Common Room as soon as she got back from the library, but he wasn't there.

However, Sirius was. "Lilypad! I'm glad I caught you. Listen, Prongs, I mean, James didn't come back after we had Occlumency. He told me he was going for a walk, but nobody's seen him. He might have gone to Hogsmeade, but the Invisibility Cloak is still in his trunk. I would find him on the Marauder's Map, but Dumbledore said he needed it for something; how does he even know we have that thing? Anyway, I'm really kind of worried about old James. He's been a little distracted the past couple of hours. Do you know where he is?" he asked, his face visibly worried.

Lily Evans had possibly hurt James Potter and made him worry Sirius Black. She thought she'd never see the day. But, well…she might as well tell Sirius. He wasn't going to say anything TOO bad. Hopefully.

"Well, um. I ran into him after lunch, and I was in kind of a, uh, BAD mood. And I may have called him an arrogant, inconsiderate, menacingly immature prat. Um…and I said that I despised him with every fiber of my being, or something to that degree. I really didn't mean it, though…I think. I dunno! I think I actually hurt James' feelings." Lily bit her lips, looking down. She could almost feel Sirius' eyes burning a hole in her.

"I know where he is! Merlin, I never thought I'd have to go there. Ever. In a thousand years never. Evans, really, you need to learn when to hold your tongue." Sirius sharply said, but a look of discovery crossed his face.

"Where is he? I want to apologize to him. I didn't mean it. I swear." Lily shrugged, in a rather guilty fashion.

"I better get him. You don't want to find him there. I think his ego would become even more bruised then it already is." Sirius looked at her, and for the first time, Lily noticed that he was actually very considerate of his friends.

The Marauders were surprising her considerably today.

-

"Oi! James! You in here?" Sirius cried, walking into the library.

"Oh, Padfoot. It's you." James' voice sounded from the Restricted section.

"You want to tell me what's really bothering you? Prongs, I've known you for a long time. A girl saying she despises you with every fiber of her being may hurt your feelings, but not enough to make you ignore everyone for the rest of the day." The one called Padfoot chuckled.

James stepped out of the section labeled _A-AE _and pulled Sirius outside of the library. "Listen. I was about to tell her how I really feel about her. You know, that I…I _like _like her, really really like her. Maybe even love her. In the middle of her little outburst she said, 'To think I could EVER have feelings for you is the most disgusting thought I've had in quite a while'. She had feelings for me. And I've pretty much ruined any chance I ever had with her. Have you ever had this sinking feeling in your chest? I've had it all day. Ever since she yelled at me. Maybe I am a nutcase." James sighed, running a hand through his black hair.

Sirius' jaw dropped. "Oi, mate. Amortenscia Moneyspent, that weird girl Lily hangs out with…you know the one. She claims she's a 'fortune teller'? She asked me out the other day, and I turned her down. Then she said, 'This feeling in my chest. I think I have a broken heart. Goodbye, Sirius. I love you.' Mate, that's what you have! A broken heart, I mean, not feelings for me. If you do, then, I'm sorry to say this, but you're a Pisces and I'm a Virgo. We don't mesh." Sirius said, keeping a straight face.

James looked at Sirius in horror. "A broken heart? From Evans? Are you serious?" he gaped.

Sirius grinned; "Why, yes, I am. On both counts."

"And she calls me a prat." James mumbled incoherently.

-

"Potter! Oh, thank God. I was a little worried about you, you know. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings…" Lily said, but decided not to say that. It was too much like she was rambling, and made her sound a little neurotic even.

"Um. Okay, I got it. Potter, I'm so sorry I said those things. I've just been having a really bad day. And…" Lily shook her head again. Too practiced!

Before she could think of the correct apology, Potter and Black came through the Common Room door.

Lily could feel her stomach churn at the very sight of James. His hair. Oh, Lord, his hair was a wreck. And his cheeks were a shade of pink that she'd never seen on him before.

He was looking down, and Sirius was talking, as from as Lily could tell, in a very animated fashion.

James just kind of wandered off to sit in front of the fire. Now was her chance.

Lily took a deep breath, and took four long strides toward James.

"Potter. I mean, um, James. I'm sorry about earlier. I don't know what got in to me. I'm so sorry. I really never meant to hurt your feelings. I swear it. Did I mention I was sorry?" Lily tried again, sitting next to James. She could feel her cheeks turn red just sitting next to him.

Um, okay, maybe she did have a little bit of a crush on him.

"Yeah, you did. Look, Evans, er, Lily, I guess I'm acting kind of childish, moping around and feeling sorry for myself. But, you have to know what I wanted to ask you earlier. And I don't think you'll want to, mostly because you specifically stated you having feelings for me is the most disgusting thought you've had in a while, but I just really need to ask you this or I'll go mad. I just wanted to ask you…" James began, pausing, not looking at Lily directly, "If you'd want to go out sometime. I mean, maybe just as friends, or more than friends, anything is really, um…sorry, am I babbling? I'm just kind of nervous, and I've liked you for a long time, and I'm telling myself not to get my hopes up but…I'm sorry I ever asked, it was a stupid question." James sighed, looking hopeful in a childish sense.

It was actually rather endearing.

Lily smiled at James, and gently her hand on his. "You didn't let me answer. I've kind of been harboring a crush on you, and I guess I never realized it until I told you I despised you. I would love to go out with you, James. As more than friends," her smile grew wider, and she watched James' face light up.

They were no longer Potter and Evans, the two people who hated each other with every fiber of their existence. They were James and Lily, two people who were holding hands on a red couch and stealing awkward glances at each other, smiling shyly.

-

It had been six months since that fateful day. And in the Common Room, James Potter and Lily Evans were walking and they glanced at each other, Lily glaring at James.

"Potter," she spat, trying to hide her smile.

"Evans," James grinned. Lily couldn't do it. She burst out laughing, walking over to James and kissing his cheek gently.

"You prat! I can't stay mad at you when you have that adorable little grin on your face!" Lily's laughs reduced to giggles, and then just hiccups.

"Adorable? What am I? Five?" James pretended to be hurt. Lily opened her mouth, but James put a hand over it; "Don't answer that."

And, much to the dismay of the rest of the Marauders, the two collapsed onto the couch, embracing each other by the crackling fire. "Not again." Remus rolled his eyes, picking up a week-old Daily Prophet.

"Guess we can go to Hogsmeade tomorrow night." Peter shrugged, returning to his chocolate bar.

"Are you serious?!" Sirius pouted. He'd really been looking forward to sneaking out.

"No, you are." James retorted.

Lily grinned. That joke just never got old.

-

**Yeah, okay, well I never said it was any good, but whatever.**

**Do your friend Katie a favor and review with more than "so cute!" or "i loved it" or...yeah.**


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